Let It Snow
by BlackPan1her
Summary: Hub City is suffering a horrific snowstorm, and its faceless hero must face many dangers during the chaos emerging throughout the city... and an experience that will change his life forever. ((I based this story in part by O' Neil's run mixed with my own flair and desire for the character))


Let It Snow

_ "…They're calling it the snowstorm of the century. Cars stranded in the middle of roads. Citizens running out of supplies to keep warm and well-fed. Aggressive citizens rioting in the streets. There is terror tonight in Hub City. The chief of police had this to say at an emergency press conference:_

_ '__Everyone, stay in your homes and let this storm pass. If you are in urgent need of supplies, do not venture further than you can walk, and make sure to dress warmly. We would call the Red Cross for assistance with citizens in distress, however there are many cities suffering the same fate—Gotham, Coast City, even Metropolis… Regardless, follow our advice, and do not, I repeat, DO NOT try and help people with their cars. There are unconfirmed reports of murders under these same circumstances. That is all.'_

_ Wise words of advice. Reporting live from News Channel 7—"_

"Oh, the weather outside is frightful..."

Vic Sage, known to many as the faceless vigilante The Question, repeats this simple line from a Christmas song to himself, as he walks along the empty streets under the cover of darkness. The shops that would line the streets in lights and fill them with sounds were closed and silent. The streetlights were the only thing you could see within a few feet of visibility that the harsh winds and blowing snow would allow. With nothing to cover but the immense snowstorm, the staff at KBEL was limited to a few reporters; the rest were told to stay home. Vic was one of those people, yet he still walks the streets, searching. For what, he does not know. Perhaps trouble would find him, as it has seemed to ever since he donned the mask.

A few hundred feet away, two no-name criminals were breaking into a car amidst the stranded vehicles downtown. "C'mon, just get the door open, you idiot, I'm freezing here," one of them said. "Be quiet man, the door's frozen to the frame," replied the other. "Then we'll just choose another car, there's a bunch here!" the first carjacker shouted. His words were almost drowned out by the harsh winds. "Good idea, let's take that truck, we'll at least have a chance of getting off this street with it."

Vic heard the commotion from a distance, barely able to see in front of him. He knew he had to jump into action, regardless of the conditions. "Never a dull day…" Sage pulled his signature mask over his face and ran towards the sounds. Soon, he was a few feet from the vehicle that criminals were attempting to take, but due to the visibility, neither party could see each other. One of the criminals peers over the roof of the truck, hearing a strange noise, and notices a shadowy figure coming closer. "I think we have company, man…" he said. "Then I'll have a little surprise for him," the other criminal replied as he pulled out his Berretta. "Alright, I don't know who you are, but I know my rights! Me and my friend here are just trying to get into our truck here, you take another step and we'll have to use special precautions, ya hear?" To the criminals' surprise, the shadowed figure vanished instantaneously; Vic had released the Rodor gas in his belt buckle, clouding himself from the criminals as well as changing the color of his clothes. He snuck easily around the criminals and appeared again directly behind them. "I can hear many things, the uneasy pattern of your breath—"One of the carjackers reacted to his presence with a hook punch, Vic dodges it quickly. "— the cocking of the gun in your coat pocket, however the one thing I didn't hear…" The other carjacker pulled out the gun; The Question swatted the man's gun hand away and forced his head into the truck window. "…the only thing I didn't hear was keys, to this vehicle that I suspect isn't yours." The other man looked at the Question's face, and when he saw who he was, the other criminal ran away, eventually out of visible range. Vic figured he would let the other off with a warning; besides, only one of them had a gun, and he was taken care of. The Question straightened his tie as he continued roaming the streets.

An hour later, Vic, still in his costume, was about a block away from home. He started venturing towards his apartment when he noticed two people pushing a car down the road. He took a few steps into the slush-covered roads and noticed the stranded people were an elderly couple he recognized from the church down the road. He reluctantly decided to help the old couple, getting behind the car and approaching them. "You two look far too tired to do this by yourselves, allow me to help. Get back into your car and put it in neutral, I'll push." The old woman was suspicious, but her husband recognized the faceless features of this hero of Hub City. He agreed and told his wife to get into the car and put it in gear, staying behind to help push. As they pushed, the Question asked the old man why he decided to push. "I'm not dead yet, son. Besides, it's not every day you see someone like yourself. Seen you on the news, they say you're some kind of vigilante." The Question thought for a moment before responding. "I fancy myself more of a problem-solver." "Well today, consider yourself a savior. Thank you," the old man replied.

A few moments later, the Question motioned the old man to join his wife in the car, and he told them to floor it and don't stop. Within seconds, the car coasted down the street, gaining enough momentum to traverse the ice and slush comfortably.

After shaking off a chill up his spine, Vic continued on his journey home until he heard something else.

BOOM!

"What in the hell was that?" The explosion was a few blocks away, but the smell of smoke started to fill the air around him. The Question rushed to the scene to find a nearby apartment complex ablaze. The second floor was surrounded by a ring of smoke and speckled by flames. From the look of the inferno, firefighters wouldn't be able to put out the fire in time before people died. The Question immediately rushed into the building to help rescue anyone he could.

Once he arrived at the second floor, he heard a young girl screaming for help from across the hall. "Hold on!" the Question shouted as he rushed to the door and kicked it down. He saw the little girl, holding onto her mother who had passed out from the black smoke. She was poking her, crying and trying get her to wake up. The Question didn't have a moment to spare; he slung the woman on his shoulder and grabbed the girl in his other arm. "Let's get you out of here, sweetheart." Vic quickly checked the other doors on the floor; most were vacated or ransacked by rioters, the fire probably started by careless looters.

As soon as the Question exited the burning building, he laid the girl's mother on the ground and started performing CPR on her. Without thinking Vic took off the mask to force air into her lungs. For five minutes, he attempted to bring her back to life, but ultimately the smoke inhalation had taken its toll, as she lay dead in the middle of the street. When Vic arose from the body, the little girl ran to her mother, crying and holding onto her. Vic hung his head in shame. He then suddenly realized the girl had no protection from the harsh weather. She couldn't have been more than 6 or 7 years old, there was no way she survive in this weather on her own. He then rushed to her side to place his coat on top of her. Vic tried to consul the little girl the best he could. "I'm sorry, but there's nothing we can do. I need to get you to safety before you die too." His idea of therapy was not exactly the best for a little girl, but it was enough to calm her down slightly. he lifted her up wrapped in his coat and started rushing towards his house.

As they approached his house, the girl had fallen asleep, and Vic put her down for a second to unlock the door. Without his coat, he was freezing cool and possibly had frostbite, but none of that mattered now. The girl was okay, at least as much as she could be, and that was all he needed to know. He brought her into his room and placed her near the heater. Vic then sunk into his chair and covered himself in blankets.

It was around 2am when the girl woke up and tugged on Vic's sleeve to wake him up. Vic awoke to a startle, "Oh… okay, you're awake. Are you hungry or thirsty? Would you like another blanket?" "A glass of juice would be good," the girl replied. As Vic went to the fridge to grab her something, the girl spoke up. "Thank you, mister, for taking me in." "It's… not a problem," Vic said.

"Is my mommy…?"

"Yes, honey. I… am so sorry…" Vic was fighting back tears.

"Some bad men came into our room and yelled at us. They wanted to see my daddy, but he was out of town. My mommy told them to get out, but they wouldn't leave. They pushed her into the oven and hit her on the head, then they set the building on fire. I tried to wake her up, but…"

"It's ok… you did everything you could… what is your name?"

"Amy. Amy Forester. What's your name, sir?"

"…Victor."

"Hi, Victor."

"Hello, Amy."

Victor gave Amy a glass of soda; it was the only thing he had in his fridge.

"Thank you, sir."

"You're welcome, Amy. Now, this may be tough to recall, but can you describe the man who hurt your mother?

"…He was tall, and skinny, and he had a scar on left eye. He had another scar on his arm, but I can't describe it. Do you have a piece of paper?"

"Of course, Amy."

When Vic gave Amy the piece of paper and a pen, she drew four lines in a row with a streak through them. Vic suddenly knew what he was dealing with.

"That's good, Amy, thank you. Were there any others with him?"

"The rest of them wore lots of clothes and hoods over their heads."

"Thank you, Amy. Are you going to be alright?"

"I think I'll be okay. My daddy comes back tomorrow."

A sudden thought came to Vic; there had to be a reason they would come to that specific apartment and try to find her father, as she had said before. "What is your father's name, Amy?" "James," she said, "he works at a big lab in Metropolis."

_"Either Lexcorp or STAR labs… it's starting to make a little sense now" _Vic thought. "Thank you again, Amy, you may be able to help me bring these bad men to justice." "Okay," she said as she yawned, finishing the drink. He wrapped her in a blanket and she fell asleep for the rest of the night. While she slept, he went to his computer and searched for her father. After some intensive searching, he found James Forester was a chief scientist for STAR Labs, and he would be returning on a delayed flight at 6 the next night.

"At least she still has a parent, she doesn't know how lucky she is… but she will still need help."

When Amy awoke later in the morning, she found Victor in the next room reading an old paper, fully dressed in a different suit and tie.

"Good morning, Amy. I found your dad, he's coming home today now that the weather is cleared up a bit."

"Thank you, sir."

"It's no problem at all."

Later that day, Vic put on his costume and took Amy to a diner across the street from Amy's apartment building. The building was visibly repaired partially from the fire. A human shape was drawn in chalk over the now cleared asphalt. The silence from last night continued into today, even with all the shops and stores open once again.

"Two chocolate milkshakes, please," Vic told the waiter. "Coming right up," the waiter replied as he left for the kitchen. After the waiter left, the little girl decided to ask him a question she had on her mind since she first saw him.

"Why do you wear that mask?"

"You mean this? It's to protect my identity. You knowing my name is our little secret, you promise?"

"I promise. So, are you a superhero?"

Vic felt a little uneasy. "In a sense."

"I always see stories about Batman and Superman and that green guy," Amy said as she smiled at him.

"Which one?" Vic jokingly asked.

"The one with the ring. It's very pretty."

"It is, isn't it?" Vic said with a laugh.

"Are you in the Justice League?"

"Here's your milkshakes, guys," the waiter said as he placed them on the table and left.

Vic took a moment to clear his throat and take a sip of the milkshake. "No, it's not something I wanted to be a part of. I think differently than they do."

"I remember my mommy once said that that's a good thing. You need to offer per-spec-tive I think it's called," Amy said, sounding the word she seemed to have a little trouble with.

"You do have a good point, your mother must've been a very smart lady."

"Yeah…" the smile had left her face.

Vic knew he shouldn't have said something like that. He looked at his watch; her father would be here soon.

"Tell you what, let's finish these milkshakes, huh? Then we can reunite you with your dad."

"Okay," she said, smiling again. Vic took a sigh of relief.

A half hour later, the Question and Amy stood outside the diner, waiting for her father to return. His car pulled up in a hurry once he turned the corner to find the building damaged. He parked on the side of the street and quickly walked towards the building.

"Oh my god… Amy, Julie…" James almost didn't want to open the door. Vic, seeing James was obviously worried, held Amy's hand and crossed the street to get his attention. "Mr. Forester!" Vic shouted. James turned and saw his daughter. Tears formed in his eyes and he ran to her, grabbing her in his arms and holding his daughter tight. "Your wife and daughter were in the building when the fire occurred, I pulled them out." James put his daughter down gently and hugged Vic, to his surprise.

"Thank you… so much. She means everything to me."

"Of course, Mr. Forester…"

James let go and realized that his wife was not around. "J-Julie?... Is she?..."

Vic couldn't even utter the words, he just shook his head softly.

James held his head and started to cry. "Oh, Julie…"

"It's ok, daddy, the Question tired to save her, and he took me and gave me a warm place to sleep," Amy said.

"You did all that for my daughter?"

Vic was choking up, but he knew he had to reply. "Yes, I couldn't leave her to die in the cold."

James shook his hand. "The news is wrong about you, you're not just a good man… you're an angel. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart."

"You're very welcome, Mr. Forester."

Vic was about to leave when Amy walked up to him and asked him to pick her up. "I hope I can see you again, Victor."

"I have a feeling you will soon, Amy. Take care of yourself, okay?" Vic could barely keep from tearing up.

"I will, uncle Victor," Amy replied, hugging Victor tightly.

"I will always be with you, Amy, when you feel in danger, or just need a friend… I'm always just a call away." Vic slipped a business card into her pocket. The business card read 'The Question. Hub City.' with his anonymous email address.

"Okay," she said, hugging him tighter before letting him go and running back to her father.

Vic waved goodbye and went back to his house. He knew that today, he had truly made a difference in someone's life. He stared out onto his balcony; he saw the weather slowly reverting back to normal conditions, for winter at least. He then heard his cell phone ring from inside his coat pocket.

"Hello?"

"Victor." The voice was instantly recognizable.

"Batman?"

"I'm calling to make sure your area's safe, you got hit the worst with that snowstorm, though several prisoners escaped Arkham over the last week because of the reduced security given the conditions. I told them it was a bad idea."

"I think one of your escapees made it here. Victor Zsasz."

"He isn't accounted for. I'll be on the first flight to Hub City."

"Good. And Batman?"

"Yes, what is it?"

"I've given it some thought… I'm thinking of rejoining the League."

-End -


End file.
